During the manufacturing and packaging of pharmaceuticals, occasions arise where it is necessary to recover the pharmaceutical substances from a sealed container such as a capped bottle. These occasions typically occur when there is a defect in the pharmaceutical substance or there is a visual defect in the sealed container or the information on the label on the sealed container is incorrect.
Although there are many devices for the packaging and the sealing of a pharmaceutical product into a container, the usual method of the removal of the pharmaceutical product from the sealed container is by hand, e.g., by decapping the sealed container, perforating the seal, and pouring out the contents. This procedure is not only laborious and often unpleasant, but potentially hazardous. By providing an apparatus that can automatically open a sealed container and empty the contents therein, the work of removing the pharmaceutical product can be done more safely and efficiently.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,573,852 discloses an apparatus for rupturing a plastic bottle or vessel in order to recover their contents. This apparatus comprises a rupturing member, means for locating a bottle or vessel to be ruptured, means for limiting the movement of the bottle or vessel and means for moving the limiting means and the rupturing member relative to one another whereby to rupture the bottle or vessel. However, this apparatus has the drawbacks that the bottle or vessel is destroyed and there is a high probability that the pharmaceutical product will be contaminated by bits of the ruptured container.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,428,709 shows an apparatus for recovering the contents of a "blister" package in ribbon form, which comprises the means for puncturing the outline of an egress hole in the base of a blister pack and means for impinging upon the top of the blister pack to force the contents thereof through the egress hole. While this apparatus may be effective in recovering the contents of a blister pack, it has no utility whatsoever with respect to the recovery of the contents of a capped container having a seal, a cotton wad and a pharmaceutical product contained therein.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,744,214 discloses a machine for stripping capsules from a strip package having a backing sheet and a pocket sheet. This machine uses a roller for contacting with the backing sheet and another roller for contacting with the pocket sheet. The rollers are driven in opposite directions to advance a strip package through them and rupture the pockets in the pocket sheet to thereby release the capsules. However, this reference also has no utility in the removal of a pharmaceutical product from a capped container having a seal, a cotton wad and a pharmaceutical product contained therein.
Accordingly, it is an objective of the present invention to provide an unpackaging machine that can empty the contents of a sealed container and dispose of the emptied sealed container with minimal human intervention.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an apparatus, as aforesaid, which collects the component parts of the sealed container in separate locations.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an apparatus, as aforesaid, which is of a durable construction involving little or no maintenance.